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Turn Pro

June 11, 2012 By weborize Leave a Comment

“Life is short. It’s the one you have, friends. Tick tock. Turn pro.” ~ Todd Henry

These words (part of a blog post you can find here) really affected me last week. At the time I was dealing with having failed at something I thought I really wanted.

And as I read the post and really thought about it, I realized I had been treating the venture like a pastime – nothing more – no real “grit” behind it as Todd so perfectly articulates. (It’s funny how life shows us what is really going on if we’re willing to look.)

So for the past few days I’ve been examining and making choices . . . choosing what is worthy of “turning pro” with and what is not. And looking at whether the things I’m unwilling to generate “pro” energy with really have a place in my life. I suspect you already know the answer, just as I do.

What have you not been turning pro about in your life? And what would turning pro make available?

When Do You Work On Your Business?

June 4, 2012 By weborize Leave a Comment

And yes, I purposefully said ON as opposed to IN.

For most small business owners, working in our businesses is almost never a problem – it’s taking the time, as Seth Godin so eloquently put it, to “focus on what you need to do today to win tomorrow.” (~ Seth Godin – find his blog post here) which includes working on our businesses.

When I don’t take the time to support my business with all the things I recommend to you every day, I don’t have the results I want tomorrow.

And yes, it takes some discipline to do this, and what does it look like? Here are five simple ideas I’ve come up with:

Schedule at least 4 hours each week to work on your business – put the time on the calendar and don’t let anything else have a higher priority.
Do at least one thing to increase your visibility – create the social media account you’ve been talking about, make some posts to one you already have (Facebook now allows you to create and schedule your posts in advance which makes this really simple now), write a blog post or create (and send) that email marketing piece.
Review your email/RSS subscriptions – delete any you are no longer reading (and those you read and wish you didn’t) and add one or two that truly add to your value as an expert, just by reading them.
Take on cleaning and clearing loose ends – I find that the things I’ve had on my list deserve one of two resolutions: 1) get them done (no matter how much you hate doing whatever it is), or 2) officially let it go (it’s the “official” part that makes the difference) – if it’s waited this long, how important is it (really)?
Delegate something – yes, this is perhaps the hardest one of all, and perhaps the healthiest. Yes, it may take them a bit more time initially, and think of what you can begin to do with the time you free up.

Beginning this week, I am setting aside time to work on my business. This week the day was Monday. I woke up really excited this morning – excited about my business and the ideas I have – and it’s been a great day. I even heard from a former client who wants a quote. I’ll be sharing my results and look forward to hearing about yours as well.

Passwords

May 20, 2012 By weborize Leave a Comment

Over the past several months I have encountered at least half a dozen (if not more) prospective clients who have found out the hard way that failing to know your passwords can translate into having no way to access your website (and in some cases having to abandon a domain and start over). And yes, you know what is coming . . . my recommendations:

Always, always, always have all the passwords for your domain, hosting, ftp access, cms website access, social media sites and email marketing account. You may have the best web person ever and what happens if something happens to them or they leave the business? (None of us like to think like this, and yes, it happens). Even if you don’t know exactly how to use the passwords yourself, having them allows someone who does to assist.
Your own account – Whenever possible be sure your domain, hosting, website, etc is in its own separate account with your name on it. You don’t want to be left unable to access your account if something happens to the main account holder or payment becomes an issue.
And if you find yourself in this situation, most reputable registrars provide a way to prove ownership – although you may not appreciate the hoops you’ll be jumping through.

This simple safeguard can save you time, money and headaches – know your passwords.

Turn Pro

“Life is short. It’s the one you have, friends. Tick tock. Turn pro.” ~ Todd Henry

When Do You Work On Your Business?

Passwords

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